USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Andover > History of the town of Andover, New Hampshire, 1751-1906, Part I > Part 17
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In Salisbury the road followed in a general way, to a point a few rods northerly of S. P. Webster's house, the route subsequently adopted for the Fourth New Hampshire Turnpike. The location of a part of this road is now plainly visible near the house of Buron W. Sanborn in Salisbury.
Another account of that section of the road on Taunton Hill reads : "It ran westerly in front of Mrs. Graves' down to the east side of Captain Morrill's south field and on past the Currier place, southward." That portion of the road near the north border of the plains was called. locally, the "slough" road.
In 1786 the town voted to raise thirty pounds to clear out and make passable the College Road, laid out by the court's committee, through the west part of the town towards Hanover.
Apparently no very active measures were taken to make the road passable, as the route was likely to divert travel from the older thoroughfare, in the vicinity of which most of the influ- ential citizens lived.
In October, 1783, a road, sometimes ealled the "Back" Road, was opened eastward from the Ellis corner past the Newel Healey house, now the W. A. Emery place, to the top of "Great Hill," where it joined the old "Centre" Road. This change greatly improved communication, as the old road ran with many turns much farther south.
In the earlier history of the town no compensation was al- lowed owners for land taken for roads, but that poliey was soon changed, for the records of 1781 show that Joseph Tueker was paid for land for a road; in 1782 John Ash, Charles Hilton, Jonathan Roberts and John Rowe were paid for land needed for roads; and in 1783 Joseph Philbriek, Jeremiah Fellows, Charles Hilton, Simeon Connor and Joseph Brown were paid for
.
205.
ROADS AND TURNPIKES.
land taken for the same purpose. In some cases the town ex- changed portions of the original rangeways for the land needed for roads.
In 1782 the highway tax was £61 7s. 10d., and this sum was placed in the hands of the following surveyors to be used in their respective distriets.
Nathaniel Danforth in the River district.
Samuel Blake in the Mills district.
Benjamin Cilley in the western part of the town.
Joseph Fellows in the Flaghole district.
Moses Clough in the Boston Hill district.
In 1783 the first road from East Andover Mills to Tilton corner, the Reuben Bachelder place, was straightened. It orig- inally ran considerably south of the James Marston place.
The road from Blake's corner to Tucker Mountain district was laid out in 1788.
In 1790 there were eight highway districts.
ROADS IN ANDOVER IN 1790.
In 1790 the principal roads in Andover were as follows: The "River" Road, sometimes called the "Military" Road or the "Plymouth" Road. This road ran north and south along the . west bank of the Pemigewasset River. A branch of this road ex- tended westward to the "east end of the mountains."
The highway called the "Centre" Road ran from the "River" Road around the north side of Chance pond, about as: the road now runs, to the top of the hill sometimes called Great Hill, where Jacob Weare lived in 1850, thence down the hill to Mill Brook above "Hogback" ridge, across the stream southwesterly and westerly to the valley southwest of the "Back Road" schoolhouse, continuing along this valley the road emerged from the ravine at the southward of Hobbs' Hill, turned farther south over the knoll and continued over meet- ing-house hill to the old "Church Common," and to the saw and gristmills. A branch way from this road ran along the foot of the hill, north of the cemetery, down to Mill Brook, just below the gristmill, which was near where Busiel's hosiery mill now stands. 4 Thence along the west side of the sawmill (the site of which was occupied in 1880 by the Highland Mills) to
206
HISTORY OF ANDOVER.
a point near the W. S. Marston place. Another, or return road, ran from the Church Common easterly by a route now lost in field and pasture, through the Emery region, over Marston Hill along the south side of Chance Pond, over the outlet of the pond and across the plains to the "River" Road at a point in ward one of the present eity of Franklin.
A private or "driftway," laid out by the selectmen in 17SS, extended from Blake corner, near where C. B. Hilton now lives, "'aeross Mill brook" to the Tucker Mountain Road, and an- other driftway ran from the vicinity of the Baek or North Road schoolhouse to the Timothy Weare farm.
From a point a little westward from the sawmill ran a way along near the present location of the Tucker Mountain Road. This was laid out by the selectmen, as far as the farm now owned by G. E. Eastman, in 1788. Another road was open from the mills and the Mountain Road corner, northwesterly along the north side of Loon Pond, up the valley of the Tilton brook to a point on the "College" Road.
From Barnard's corner a road ran southerly, as at the pres- ent time, to the town line where a range road, on the south line of the town, extended easterly to the top of the hill beyond Flaghole.
At the site of the present Flagliole schoolhouse a road di- verged in a northeasterly direction through that settlement.
From the Raino corner west of Flaghole, a range road ex- tended west to the Stevenstown or Salisbury North Road, and thenee in a generally northwesterly direction to Connor's tavern on Boston Hill, and thenee westerly down the hill, aeross the plains to "Long" bridge at Great Brook.
This was at first called a part of the "College Road" to a point west of the present Boston Hill schoolhouse; from that point the College Road ran across the plains, up the westerly side and over the Taunton Hill to New Chester, ete.
From the site of the Boston Hill schoolhouse, the road run- ning over Great Brook on the Long bridge and westerly through Andover Centre was known as the Great or State Road.
From the Brown Hill Road, at the bend southeast from the Brown place, a highway extended southwest down the hill to Bailey brook, continuing over Boston hill to Long bridge corner
207
ROADS AND TURNPIKES.
on the plains, crossing the original College Road by an offset at Kilburn's corner. The cross road from the Connor place, running northerly to the Cilley corner, followed closely the lo- cation of the present road.
A private "driftway" connected the Boston Hill Road with the mill and meeting-house loeality by a route through the pine woods on the little plains and at the east of the north meadow of Loon Pond to the Church Common.
From the road extending between the mills and the Mark Batehelder corner a road was open as it now runs past the parsonage, where Hale Flanders now lives, to the College Road on Taunton Hill.
From the Graves corner on Taunton Hill a road ran nearly as it now lies, westward to Ragged Mountain Brook, thence to Swett's corner and southerly to the road near Horseshoe Pond; and another highway was open from this road, near the Ragged Mountain Brook, up into the "Bear World."
From the road to Salisbury, west of Raccoon Hill, a range road ran eastward over the hill to the Raino farm.
A much-used road, starting from the south line of Andover at the western foot of Raecoon Hill, extending northerly to Tueker's corner, thence northwesterly across the Great plains, past the present Merrill farm, to the junction with the State Road at Long bridge corner. This important link in the north and westward route through Salisbury, Andover Centre, West Andover, etc., was sometimes called the "Protectworth Road."
The "Great" or "State" Road extended from "Long Bridge" over "Great" brook at a point southwest of the pres- ent wood and lumber railroad station on the "plains" westerly to the vicinity of the present Centre village. At this point the road eurved southward, passing south of the present new and old cemeteries, reaching the highway, as now located, near the Keniston corner, where Vivian Quimby now lives, and follow- ing generally the line of the present highway to the "Morey" Hill east of Potter Place. There the road eurved south, fol- lowing the present site of the railway past Potter Place and then generally following the direction of the present highway on to West Andover. Thence the road ran northwestward through the Dudley neighborhood to the town line. This road was first
208
HISTORY OF ANDOVER.
put in condition for travel in 1784 and finished in 1786-'87. It had been "bushed out" before that date. It was first laid out three rods wide, by the town, in 1780.
From the present Potter Place a road was laid out April 2, 1788, southwesterly along the line of the present highway, past Aaron Cilley's mill to the line of "Kearsage Gore," now Wil- mot.
A road was also open from the Keniston corner to the region of the Great Meadow, since called Bachelder or Fellows meadow. From Andover Centre a road ran southward over the Black- water River and up the valley of Nether Pond Brook. No rec- ord has been found that this section of the road was ever laid out by the selectmen. At a point not far from the present residence of Charles Merrill the road turned southeast, running east of Apple Hill to the town line, connecting there with a road laid out by the town of Salisbury.
The road from Keniston corner to Mompey Hill was open in 1790 and extended to the Fourth Range.
The path, from a point on the "Back" or "North " road, near- where the schoolhouse afterwards stood, to Stephen Green's, now the William Weare place, was laid out as a highway, one and one-half rods wide, on August 28, 1792. Joseph Brown and Ephraim Sanborn lived near the road as located.
In 1793 the town laid out a road across the stream at East Andover, just south of the sawmill owned by John Roberts, and through his mill yard. He objected strenuously. The bridge was built low, very near the water, so that he could not raise the water much without floating the bridge. Finally, in 1794, on condition that the selectmen should raise the bridge one foot, he withdrew all objection to the highway and peace reigned once more.
"At Court of Common Pleas Holden at Amherst in County of Hillsborough, 2ª Tuesday of Mar. 1796; on Petition of Philip Mitchell praying for damages; Court ordered a Committee con- sisting of John C. Gale, Jona. Fifield & Abel Elkins to examine the road laid out and report such compensation as they think proper the petitioner should receive. Reported the Selectmen had not tendered sufficient compensation and that Mitchell be paid $30.00 for the road crossing his land and $18.00 cost of court."
209
ROADS AND TURNPIKES.
In 1798 the road past the Corliss house was diseontinud; and a road to take its place, running from the foot of the small Corliss hill to Barnard's corner was laid out in 1799.
The Philbriek Road from the North Road to the east end of the mountain towards the Call neighborhood was laid out Sep- tember 16, 1801.
The Robie Spring Road was laid out by order of the court in 1801. The cross road from North Road to the Emery Road was finally laid out, as it now runs, in 1801.
(The road at first called the "Baek" Road was in 1801 recorded as the "North" Road and the latter name will be con- tinued in these records.)
The road over Beech Hill from Salisbury line northward through the farms of Weare Hilliard and George Seavey was laid out March 15, 1794, and accepted by the town, July 7, 1794.
The continuation of this road to and across Blackwater River to the State Road was laid out June 18, 1794, and accepted by the town July 7, 1794.
The above seetions, taken together, constituted the road from the Centre village over Beech Hill past the schoolhouse to Salis- bury line; in direction and location generally as it is now trav- elled, past the Hervey Elkins place.
The road from the "southeast corner of Isaiah Langley's farm," now owned by Henry M. Thompson, on Beech Hill, northward to the road from the east side of Beech Hill, at a point near where the large elm tree now stands, was laid out August 22, 1794, and accepted December 8, 1794.
In 1801 some of the citizens of East Andover wanted a road on the west side of the stream from Loon Pond to the mill, with a bridge over the outlet of the pond. They began work on the road and bridge, but meeting with no encouragement from the town authorities, they petitioned the court "for a highway to be laid out in Andover from Capt. Wm. Proetor's house to strike the south road in said town near Roby Spring, so called."
In March, 1802, the court appointed a committee consisting of General Blood, Major Wallace and Aaron Greeley, Esq., to lay out the road. The committee reported that they had "laid out the road three rods wide as follows: Beginning at the south- erly side of the highway opposite Capt. William Proctor's dwell-
14
210
HISTORY OF ANDOVER.
ing house and nigh the westerly side of Mr. Stickney's store, between two Stakes and Stones, we set thence S. 2º E .- 22 rods through Mr. Stickney's land to Mr. Robert's land, the same course 66 rods to the pond; thence the same course over the outlet of the pond about 20 rods, thence southerly about the same course, by the line between two lots of land, tak- ing the whole width of the road off the west lot, 221% rods; thence S. 40° E .- 14 rods through Ebenezer Tueker's land; then the same course through John Bailey's land 14 rods to Bailey's road (so called), thenee on the same course and five rods, through James N. Pervere's land; then S. 22° E .- 54 rods; then S. 15° E .- 36 rods; then S. 19° E .- 86 rods; then S. 10° E .- 40 rods further through said Pervere's land to the South road in Andover provided the petitioners complete the Bridge that is now begun over the outlet of the pond within one year at their own proper cost and charge the bridge to be covered with good square edged white pine plank three inches thick and good rails put upon each side of the bridge the whole length thereof the whole of the [bridge] to be well built of good sound timber. The above road to be opened by the town of All- dover within one year. We estimate the damage of the above road as follows :- viz. to Mr. Stickney D.3.00; Mr. Roberts, D.10.00; Mr. Hilton D.5.00; Mr. Brown, D.12.00; Ebenezer Tueker D.2.50; John Bailey D.2.50 and James N. Pervere D.50.00 to be paid by the town of Andover within one year and the petitioners receive of the town of Andover D.35.00. Cost of Committee and cost of Court taxed in common form."
The court granted the petition as reported by the committee and put the cost of court at $15.36.
The road, as surveyed, was about 380 rods long and, accord- ing to the appraisal of the committee, the land was worth about $14 per acre. The road and bridge were finished in 1803.
Previous to the building of this road the travel from the mills at East Andover village had been through the south field of the C. A. Durgin estate, thence aeross the little plain near the present Lakeside Cemetery and through the Haley pasture.
The road from the Weare place northward over Dea. Samuel Cilley's hill to New Chester was laid out in 1806.
The road from Parker Seribner's corner to the burial place at Sawyer's corner was laid out in 1806.
211
ROADS AND TURNPIKES.
In 1807 the Captain Tucker road, running northeasterly from the Deacon Kimball or Pettingill place to Taunton Hill, was laid out by a court committee.
December 28, 1807, the Centre Square and the ranegway lead- ing therefrom to the Badcock Road was sold at auction to Dr. Jacob B. Moore for $271.75. Samuel Graves, "Vendue Mas- ter."
For several years there was a bitter local controversy in re- gard to the location of the road leading southerly from East Andover village. Should it lie on the east or the west side of the outlet of the pond was the vital question.
Finally, in 1809, a road was laid out and built on the east side of the outlet of the pond, near the location of the present road, and superseding the one built in 1803 on the west side and over the bridge. The irritation of the controversy, how- ever, did not immediately subside.
In 1823 the town was indited for neglecting the road bridge over the outlet of the pond.
A new section of road from near the big elm tree on the east Beech Hill Road to a point on the west Beech Hill Road, near the present Hame Company's shop, was laid out in 1815.
A short road, running northerly from the "Smithfield" Road to the sawmill of Jonathan Roberts, was laid out in 1820.
In 1821 a highway from Salisbury along the easterly shore of Bradley Pond to the highway between the Centre village and Potter Place was laid out by the court's commission and three years were allowed for building it. That portion from Salisbury line northerly, about one mile, was nearly finished when the town of Salisbury refused to build its section and the road was abandoned.
In a warrant for one of the Andover town meetings this road was called the "Imperial Turnpike."
In a portion of the above line, from the western end of the highway, near J. E. Fitzgerald's house, northwesterly past the house of W. Lorden to the highway running southerly from the Keniston corner, a road was laid out by the selectmen, but was never built.
In 1823-'24 the causeway across the meadow south of the mills at East Andover village, and east of the stream, was re-
212
HISTORY OF ANDOVER.
built by Capt. Caleb Marston for $360. It was called the "Long bridge."
The so-called "Brook Road" below "Dyer's Crossing" was laid out by Ephraim Eastman, surveyor, and was first built in 1824 or 1825. Capt. Jonathan Brown of Beech Hill was the builder. The freshet of August 28, 1828, destroyed much of this road.
Capt. Caleb Marston was very much opposed to the road and would not use it. He drew all of his lumber, largely long and heavy masts, over the hills of the Emery Road and Marston Hill to the Merrimack River.
The road at Cilleyville, from Potter Place to Wilmot, form- erly crossed the river about where the middle of the carriage shop now stands. It was changed. after the great freshet of August, 1826.
The "Mill Brook" Road, from the Henry Emery corner to the Parker Scribner corner, was built in October and November. 1827. Capt. Caleb Marston superintended the construction and was paid $1.00 per day. The road was completed in sixteen days. Laborers were paid 67 cents per day, boarding then- selves, and a man with a yoke of oxen received $1.17 per day.
The road from the Gershom Durgin place, where the late George W. Mitchell lived, eastward and across the East Andover plain towards the East Andover village, was laid out by a court committee in September. 1834. This road. the section past the gristmill and the change at the "Gulf" were completed in 1835.
The Andover section of the road running from the south side of the Fourth New Hampshire Turnpike. near the Rev. Samuel Robbins place. westward towards Gookin's Mills, was laid out September 21, 1835.
That section of road from the corner west of the Hubbard Dudley place towards the causeway at the outlet of Eagle Pond was built about 1846.
The road from Cilleyville to West Andover, on the west side of Bog Pond, was laid out by the county commissioners in 1846.
When the railroad was built in 1846. the section of the Brook Road near "Hogback" was abandoned and the road was re- located on the hillside.
The link connecting the old road to the True and Tucker farms on Tucker Mountain, with the old College Road leading
7
BIRCH AVENUE ON THE ROAD TO "TUCKER MOUNTAIN"
213
ROADS AND TURNPIKES.
over "Ragged Mountain pass" to Hill and beyond, was laid out June 18, 1852.
A road on Becch Hill "from Eben Farnum's south bars north- westerly to Bachelder's Road, so called, through land of R. F. Eastman, Eben. Farnum, Walcott Hamlin and Isaac R. East- man, was laid out November 6, 1853, but never built. It was again laid out in 1867, but not built. A short road from a point west of the Ziba Severance house to the plains, near Tucker corner, was laid out October 2, 1854.
The road leading from Raino corner on Raccoon Hill north- westerly to the East Andover and West Salisbury road on the plains, was laid out November 30, 1860.
In 1868 the new road was built from a point near the Andrew Seavey sawmill, towards Morey Hill. In 1872 the town voted to collect the highway tax and have all the work on the roads done under the direction of one surveyor or superintendent. In 1873, voted to return to the old system, under which each tax- payer worked out his highway tax in his own district, at a fixed rate per hour.
In 1875 a wooden-covered bridge was erected over the river at Andover Centre. For many years the old structure had been known as the "Seavey" bridge, so named for Mr. Henry Seavey, whose home for a long time was just south of the bridge.
In 1878 new guideboards, or post guides, as they were first called, were erected at many of the road crossings in town. Most of the guide boards then standing had been in use from thirty-five to forty years.
In 1880 the old bridge, formerly known as the "Philbrick" bridge, southeast of Kimball's corner, was removed and replaced by a wooden-covered bridge, which is now generally known as the "Fifield bridge."
THE FOURTH NEW HAMPSHIRE TURNPIKE.
This road, when finished, ran from Boscawen "Plains" northerly and westerly through Salisbury "South Road" and "Centre Road," Andover Centre, Potter Place, West Andover, Wilmot Centre and Springfield on towards the Connecticut River in Lebanon.
It was incorporated by an Act of the Legislature passed in the autumn of 1800.
214
HISTORY OF ANDOVER.
As incorporators the Act named Elisha Payne, Russell Free- man and Constant Storrs and their associates and successors, etc.
The general location of the road is defined as below :
"SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, that the said corporation are empowered to survey, lay out, make and keep in repair a turnpike road of four rods wide, on such route or tracks as in the best of their judgment and skill shall combine shortness of distance with the most practicable ground from the east bank of Connecticut River, in the town of Lebanon, nearly opposite to the mouth of White River, eastwardly to the west bank of the Merrimack River in the town of Salisbury or Boscawen; and also to survey, lay out, make and keep in repair, as aforesaid, a turnpike road, four rods wide, from the east abutment of White River Falls bridge in Hanover southeastwardly till it intersects the road first mentioned and be a branch thereof."
A committee consisting of James Whitelaw of Ryegate, Gen. Elias Stevens of Royalton and Maj. Micah Barron of Bradford, all of Vermont, was chosen by the proprietors to survey and lay out the route.
From Horseshoe Pond in Andover two routes were selected, through Salisbury and Boscawen, to the Merrimack River. On that section of the route the report was as below :
"From said pond through Salisbury, two routes :- the north- ern by Maj. Gale's to Col. Gerrish's is 9 miles 113 rods; from said Gerrish's to Boscawen meeting-house is 2 miles 240 rods; from Horse Shoe pond through the south vale in Salisbury by Esq. Bean's to Boscawen Meetinghouse is 10 miles 226 rods which is 1 mile 113 rods further than to Col. Gerrish's. but is 1 mile 127 rods nearer than the north route by Col. Gerrish's to Boscawen Meeting house. Your committee recommend the south route by Esq. Bean's provided there is no particular em- barrassments in procuring the land."
At this time "south vale" is an unknown locality.
When the report of the committee was presented to the corporation at a meeting on September 24, 1801, the northern route by Major Gale's to Colonel Gerrish's was unanimously adopted. John C. Gale was chosen one of the five directors. At a later meeting the route through the "south vale" by Esquire Bean's to Boscawen meeting-house was adopted. By
215
ROADS AND TURNPIKES.
this time much interest in the plans of the company had devel- oped.
The south and eentre villages in Salisbury were earnestly op- posed to the adopted route and sharp, sometimes bitter, dis- cussion followed. At first each village tried to secure the route through its own loeality, leaving the other with no advantages. This struggle for selfish ends delayed the completion of the turnpike until a committee of the proprietors reported that un- der certain conditions it "ought to be made by the two meeting- houses," that is, through the two Salisbury villages, and there the road was finally built.
The notes of the final survey from Dea. Amos Pettingill's house at the Centre village, afterwards known as the Searle's place, to and through Andover, across the line into Wilmot, were as given below :
Beginning at a stake and stones, one rod from the southwest corner of Deacon Amos Pettingill's house, marked vi;
thence North 29° West
25 rods to the westerly corner of Page's hat- ter's shop; to stake and stones marked viii;
28°
68
to a maple tree marked ix;
35°
123
to a hemlock tree marked x;
32°
66
91
202
38°
66
59°
84
to a hemlock tree marked xiv;
44
68°
40
to a birch tree standing on the bank of the river marked xv;
to a hemlock tree marked xvi;
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